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Bow Creek Lighthouse

Place, Essex

Location Guide

 

This location guide is partly done, we are currently working on it and it should be completed in the next month.

 

Photo on wiki page  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bow_Creek_Lighthouse_dusk.JPG

http://www.geograph.org.uk/gridref/TQ3935880717

Used for lighting trials for Trinity House

Trinity Buoy Wharf, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, is the site of London's only lighthouse, by the confluence of the River Thames and Bow Creek, at Leamouth. The lighthouse no longer functions, and is the home of various art projects such as Longplayer. It is sometimes known as Bow Creek Lighthouse.

In 1803, the site came to be used by The Elder Brethren of Trinity House, and the seawall here was reconstructed in 1822, built by George Mundy of Old Ford. The site was used as a maintenance depot, and storage facility for the many buoys that aided navigation on the Thames; and the wharf for docking and repair of lightships.

The original lighthouse was built by the engineer of Trinity House, James Walker, in 1852. and was demolished in the late 1920s. The surviving lighthouse was built in 1864-6 by James Douglass for Trinity House. It was used for lighting trials for Trinity House's lights around England & Wales. Michael Faraday also carried out experiments there. The pair continued to be used for training prospective lighthouse keepers.[1]

In December 1988, the Corporation of Trinity House closed the wharf, and the area was acquired by the London Docklands Development Corporation. In 1998, Urban Space Holdings Ltd took control of the site on a long lease. The site has been, and continues to be, developed as "a centre for the arts and cultural activities". Enhancements include studio space (including unusual architecture based on used shipping containers) and exhibition space.

Urban Space Holdings have used the area to develop 'Container City'[2] in 2001, a studio and office complex made from recycled sea shipping containers. The original project was made from 80% recycled material. "Container City 1" took 5 months to complete, taking 4 days to install. The Container City project proved very popular and in 2002 "Container City 2" was completed delivering a further 22 studios across 5 floors in a with a brightly coloured ziggurat design. A further extension to the Container City Complex was the "Riverside Building" located next to the Thames facing The O2 dome. This was yet another architectural design providing an additional 22 studio spaces.

On 30 November, 2005, the University of East London opened Fine Art studios at the wharf, and on the 25th September 2009 the University of East London opened two dance studios at the Institue of Performing Arts Development in The Chainstore at Trinity Buoy Wharf.[3]

 


Lighthouse information Grid

Name:

Bow Creek Lighthouse, Essex

Current status:

Not in use as a lighthouse

Geographic Position:

 

Grid Reference:

TQ393807

Ceremonial County:

Essex

Appearance:

 

Map Link:

maps

Aerial photo:

 

Other photos:

 

Originally built:

 

Current lighthouse built:

 

Height of Tower:

 

Height of light above mean sea level:

 

Character of light:

 

Character of fog signal:

 

Range of light:

 

Owned / run by:

 

Getting there:

 

Access:

 

Website:

Trinity Buoy Warf

Other Useful Websites:

WiKi

Routes:  
Other Relevant pages:

For more articles, lists and other information see the Lighthouses Section

Lighthouse Map of England and Wales

Featured List of Lighthouses - England and Wales  

List of Minor Lighthouses and Lights - England and Wales

Notes:

 

Please let us know any other information that we can add to the Grid or page and any errors that you discover. Before making a long trip to any location it is always wise to double check the current information, websites like magazines may be correct at the time the information is written, but things change and it is of course impossible to double check all entries on a regular basis. If you have any good photographs that you feel would improve the illustration of this page then please let us have copies. In referring to this page it is helpful if you quote both the Page Ref and Topic or Section references from the Grid below. To print the planning grid select it then right click and print the selected area.

Please submit information on locations you discover so that this system continues to grow.

 


By: Keith Park   Section:  Lighthouses Section Key:
Page Ref: Bow_Creek_Lighthouse Topic: Lighthouses Last Updated: 06/2010

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